Dominica: PM Skerrit participates in Summit for Democracy hosted by US President Joe Biden

Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit participated in the Summit for Democracy, a virtual event of Heads of Government and international and society leaders hosted by the President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden.

Dr Kenneth Darroux, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business and Diaspora Relations, also attended the Summit.

During the Summit, leaders from different countries discussed the challenges faced by democracy globally and within participating countries.

More than 100 world leaders attended the White House's first virtual Summit for Democracy.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden expressed concern about a "backward spiral" of democracy around the world, urging other world leaders to join him in bolstering democratic institutions as his government grows increasingly concerned about China's and Russia's ambition for global dominance.

Biden's remarks highlighted several issues that democracies face, including corruption, inequality, and restrictions on press freedom.

In addition, the leaders highlighted growing concern about the dangers of disinformation and the growth of autocracies.

"We are at a critical juncture in our history; in my opinion, the choices we make right now will fundamentally influence the path our world will go in the following decades," Biden remarked on Thursday.

"Will we continue to allow the erosion of rights and democracy to go unchecked?" Or will we, as a group, have a vision and the fortitude to lead the march of human progress and freedom forward once more?"

The Summit comes after a tumultuous year in US democracy, which began with an attempt by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and culminated in the deadly storming of the US capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, in an effort to control Congress from certifying Biden's election.

Some analysts find Biden's attempt to embrace the mantle of democracy promotion uncomfortable, given the country's continuous decline in trust in democratic institutions.

Biden said his administration would "keep fighting to pass two critical pieces of legislation that will shore up the very foundation of American democracy" at the Summit on Thursday, but he gave few details on how he would ensure the federal legislation, which is stalled in the US Congress, is passed.